Arsene had his eyes closed, lying on the couch. A bit of tension was visible on his face, but his inner nature was gradually helping him relieve that tension.
The couch wasn't in his apartment; it was in Erebus' office. Arsene had come to Erebus as agreed upon.
In both of his hands were Mana shards stained with traces of blood—shards Erebus had provided to help him train and understand how Magic Promotion worked.
"Relax your muscles, relax your body, clear your mind. Don't think about anything—not even my words! Just let them pass through your ears. Your subconscious will remember them on its own without your help!"
Erebus guided him with his words.
Erebus continued, "Magic Promotion requires focus and mental clarity. You must not carry any external worry, not think of anything—just focus on the shards between your hands."
"How do you draw the mana from within the shards into your body and lead it toward your Mana core? At your current level, you can't do that without a link that increases your affinity with the mana inside the shard.
That's why you use a bit of your blood as a link with that mana. It may seem random to you, but trust me—it's effective."
Erebus thought to himself, Of course, as long as you trick your psyche into it, it will work. You'll think your affinity with the mana has really increased, and that's exactly what Magic Promotion needs—mental confidence to succeed. This method always works.
"You're starting to succeed, Uniquely Gifted! I can feel the fluctuations of mana in the shards in your hands—it's being pulled out from within them. Now focus on retaining as much of that mana as possible without losing it into the air, and push it toward your Mana core."
"Don't take a direct path. Make it loop. The route toward the core is long and follows a complex pattern—from your feet to your guts, to your lungs, then to your heart, from your heart to your head, from your head to your hands, then to your spinal cord, and finally to your stomach.
From there to your core. Don't shorten the route. Try to make this path familiar to you, like you know it, like you walk it every day. Don't get lost in it, and don't let the mana you're guiding get lost."
Erebus was guiding Arsene through his first Magic Promotion session. Of course, there would be many more sessions. The idea was to keep him from getting distracted while promoting.
Arsene followed Erebus' instructions to the letter. The mana he was guiding from the shards to his core didn't lose quantity or purity. Erebus was astonished—being able to do this with such precision and speed in his first session.
The hardest part of Promotion is reaching the high concentration state that lets you enter a neutral world—a world where you're alone, where your senses still feel the outside world...
...but your conscious mind isn't focused. Only your subconscious receives those sensations and gives you understanding.
Arsene felt a tickling in his stomach, like someone was gently brushing their hand over his belly. He resisted the smile forming on his face.
Erebus replied quickly, "Don't resist. Laugh. Smile. Cry. Get angry. Be amazed. Whatever emotion comes to you when you feel the mana entering your core—you must not suppress it. Even if your outward appearance looks foolish...
Like your current state."
Arsene thanked Erebus internally in a sarcastic way. The latter was bullying him on purpose. Arsene didn't lose focus.
Erebus took the shards from Arsene's hands and replaced them with new ones. "The blood and the link I mentioned are just methods to lower your guard and put you in a mental state that allows you to train for Promotion without mental barriers.
So this time, no blood. No so-called link."
"Again, Uniquely Gifted! Do it!"
Arsene was surprised by Erebus' words but paid them no mind, starting again with the same previous instructions.
The goal of this session was to get used to the mana's path toward his inner core. And of course, you can't master this in just one session. But Arsene's progress was astonishing—perhaps due to his adaptable mental state.
Arsene had the skills and qualities required to make him a complete genius. The early stages of Magic Promotion rely more on mental state and psychology.
If a person is fearful or hesitant, it will take a long time to overcome obstacles. The longer and more intense the fear and hesitation, the longer it will take to surpass those obstacles.
Of course, the academy has support solutions for such cases. One of them is putting the Promoter in a state of unconsciousness...
Where he can be free of any external or even internal disturbances and can reach an ideal concentration state. But unconsciousness has many drawbacks.
Among them is growing dependent on it, losing your external senses that help you know what's happening around you. Especially if you're promoting in a dangerous place or suddenly encounter enlightenment.
Arsene stayed in that state for an hour and a half. During that time, Erebus guided him with instructions and teachings. Arsene performed astonishingly for his first time.
Maybe that's what also made him a genius in the academy's eyes.
Erebus was seated at his desk while Arsene sat on the couch, drinking a cup of hot chocolate milk. He no longer felt any inner backlash in his body.
"I think you've figured out the method that will help you heal your injury," Erebus said in a neutral tone.
Arsene understood what Erebus was referring to—Magic Promotion would help him heal the internal injuries he'd sustained that day.
Erebus spoke while writing something with his brush on some papers, "Of course, for now, you're still far from full recovery. But as long as you continue promoting to the second stage, you'll be renewed from the inside—as if those injuries never existed. So try to come and don't skip these sessions.
Also, being my apprentice doesn't mean only these kinds of sessions—you'll have several other duties to perform in order to receive my recommendation. I won't exploit or mock you, so I'll give you some time until then!"
Arsene thought deeply. Of course, there would be tasks and duties to perform. Kleem was training in Malagan's workshop, which meant Arsene would also be working with Erebus. But the problem was—which field would he work in? Mental spells?
Erebus noticed the expression on Arsene's face and reassured him, "Don't overthink it! It's something easy to do, especially with your Unique Gift."
From what Erebus said, Arsene could guess the kind of tasks he'd be performing. He could leave now. Of course, he'd go to his apartment to continue training in Magic Promotion, even without anyone watching him.
Arsene knew he could do it alone. All he needed was a calm and peaceful environment without disturbance—and his apartment was the best place for that, as long as Sarl and clem weren't there.
Besides, he had a stash of Mana shards. The problem was—how would he explain that to Erebus?
First-year students were prohibited from possessing training shards. They couldn't buy them from stores since they weren't allowed to train on their own.
Only the professors who trained them were authorized to give them shards and supervise them while training.
But of course, there were still upper-year students who sold shards at high prices to first-years who needed to grow stronger.
Naturally, there were strict punishments for this. On the other hand, there were people from noble families who had been trained since childhood and were supplied with shards monthly, even if that meant breaking academy rules.
What rules? The academy was theirs—to do with as they pleased. They were the ones in control.
Arsene left.
Erebus stared at the door for a while, as a recent memory replayed in his mind—the conversation between him and Meredith.
"I can't take him as an apprentice. And Juaqing will only waste his talent and bury it. As for me, he won't learn anything from me about potions, engineering, or mathematics , or he would Eventually -"
"-The only option is you, Erebus. No one's better suited to train him. Your personalities are similar too. Of course, there's another reason pushing you to stay close to him—you know it better than I do."
Meredith smiled innocently, but there was something behind that smile—perhaps anticipation.
But he was right. Erebus was the only suitable person to train Arsene.
Erebus stopped thinking about it and continued his desk work. This was still just the beginning, after all. He smiled without realizing it.